


Aftermath

by Sev_Aella



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: AU - Virtual Reality, Dealing With Trauma, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:28:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27450481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sev_Aella/pseuds/Sev_Aella
Summary: Everyone was dealing with the game in their own way.
Relationships: Amami Rantaro/Saihara Shuichi
Kudos: 50





	Aftermath

Shuichi Saihara was gone.  
Sure, he had always been a quiet person, but now he was completely silent. The gentle, intelligent boy that Rantaro had fell in love with was gone.  
Rantaro had watched the game after he had "lost" - as team danganronpa had put it - and woken up from the simulation. He had watched as Shuichi led the trials, watched him reason with the blackeneds until they confessed and watched his pain as his friends were picked off around him, one by one.  
As he sat at Shuichi's bedside, the memory of him waking up, kicking and screaming and crying haunted him.

"You're dead!! You're dead you're dead you'redeadyou'redeadyou'redead" Shuichi had ranted, trying to wrestle off nurses with bony arms and flailing legs. Fearful eyes filled with tears had stared into Rantaro's own, and just as Shuichi had the faintest hint of recognition and.. relief? on his face, he was sedated by the nurses, and taken away from Rantaro once more.  
That hadn't been pretty. But at least it had been something. Rantaro ran his hands through soft blue hair and looked into eyes so devoid of the brilliant life that once occupied them that one could be forgiven for believing there was no life present at all. Rantaro often found himself leaning his head down to his lover's chest and listening to the soft thumping of his heart, it was comforting, in a way.  
Shuichi had used to curl into his chest and done the same when he was upset, letting Rantaro rub his back and gently coax him out of his panic. But that was before.  
Rantaro could only dream of the comfort of having his partner rub his back and whisper a simple "it's okay, I've got you".

Most nights, when nobody was around to scold him, Rantaro had snuck into Shuichi's room and snuggled up to his catatonic partner. Most nights Shuichi had just let him, unreactive, as always.  
Rantaro had gotten used to that, but tonight was different.

Whilst attempting to keep the pad of his feet on cold tiles and the creak of the door shutting quiet, Rantaro had not noticed Shuichi watching him. He turned around to find the boy sitting upright, eyebrows furrowed and bloodshot eyes bursting with sadness staring straight at him.  
Rantaro was lost for words. All he could manage was a hesitant "...Shu?".  
"Am I dead?" barely a whisper, voice gravelly from lack of use, Shuichi had spoken to his boyfriend for the first time in...  
Actually, neither of them knew. Time seemed to have its own rules in this place.  
Realising he had been frozen, Rantaro came to his senses and rushed over to the bed, careful to still leave a reasonable distance between him and the ghost of a boy looking up at him.  
"You're not dead" Shuichi looked down at his hands, "you're not dead" he repeated "it wasn't real. The game wasn't real, none of it was real".  
"So.." it seemed like it was painful for him to speak. Rantaro winced "everyone is okay?.."  
"Everyone is fine" he confirmed.  
"But.. I watched.." Shuichi looked up at Rantaro again, holding back tears, "I watched everyone die. I couldn't.. I-I couldn't s-save you"  
Rantaro could feel himself starting to tear up.

He had tried to convince Shuichi not to sign up, but Shuichi was adamant.  
"You're not doing this on your own again!" Shuichi took Rantaro's hand in his, rubbing his thumb over the back of his hand, "I'll take care of us this time. And I'm going to end this thing".

Rantaro moved closer, and sat down on the bed next to him, still making sure to give him a little space.  
"You did save people" Rantaro reached his hand out towards Shuichi's head, and when he didn't flinch away, tucked some stray hairs behind his ear. "You saved all the people who would have been in the games after this".  
Hesitantly, Rantaro added, "I missed you".  
Shuichi had started to fully sob now, suddenly moving to bury his face into Rantaro's shoulder.  
Rantaro slowly repositioned them so they were both lying down, and he tucked them both in.  
They didn't need to say anything else to each other. They just lay, crying, clinging on as tight as they could. 

Shuichi Saihara had been gone for a long time. But he was back now, and Rantaro couldn't have been more grateful.


End file.
